Two important community organizations faced the prospect of closure during my first term as Mayor: Harvest Algoma in 2023 and the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA in 2024. In both cases, I worked with City Council and community partners to help find solutions that would keep important services operating.
When Harvest Algoma’s future became uncertain in 2023, I worked alongside DSSAB CEO Mike Nadeau and others to bring the organizations needed for a solution to the table. After an initial plan for the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre to assume operations fell through, those efforts continued until a new path forward was determined. City Council ultimately approved $180,000 in funding over three years, Algoma Steel committed another $120,000, and additional support came from community organizations and donors. The Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre and its Rural Agri-Innovation Network took over operations, allowing Harvest Algoma’s food-security programming to continue.
Harvest Algoma does much more than operate a traditional food bank. Its commercial kitchen, warehouse, coolers and freezer capacity allow it to rescue large quantities of perishable food that might otherwise be wasted, safely preserve it and redistribute it through food banks, shelters and other community organizations. Harvest Algoma supports dozens of agencies and programs across the community and has continued to expand the amount of food it rescues and redistributes each year. It also plays a central role in Every Breakfast Counts, a community initiative organized that provides thousands of breakfasts to kids.
In 2026 alone, the program has helped provide more than 10,500 meals, demonstrating how Harvest Algoma’s food-rescue and storage capacity translates directly into support for families and children across Sault Ste. Marie.
Less than a year after the Harvest Algoma crisis, the YMCA announced that financial pressures would force it to cease programming by May 15, 2024. The potential closure put recreational programming, community services and childcare spaces at risk. I worked with City staff, Council, YMCA representatives and community partners to identify a viable alternative to closure.
A local charitable foundation ultimately stepped forward to purchase the YMCA property, providing the foundation for a long-term solution. City Council subsequently committed up to $505,000 toward necessary capital improvements and approved the agreements required to support the YMCA’s continued operation.
Instead of closing, the YMCA remained open without a lapse in service and has since received further investment to repair and modernize its building. The organization continues to serve Sault Ste. Marie today.
Neither outcome was the work of one person or one organization. They were community efforts involving residents, donors, businesses, charitable organizations, City Council and other local partners. My role as Mayor was to help bring those partners together, keep the City engaged in finding solutions and make sure we did everything reasonably possible to prevent two important community services from disappearing.
